So Fun City: Balancing Acts Is Making Rock Climbing Inclusive—and Way More Fun

Complaining can only get you so far. It’s a realization plenty of people never have—but, thankfully for the rock-climbing community, Balancing Acts founder Benjamin Fenton hit that aha moment. “At some point, you get to an age where you realize: if you’re not contributing to the city, you’re part of the problem,” says Fenton, a photographer and designer by trade. “My friends and I would say, ‘Man, this city doesn’t really have culture. Nothing social is really happening.’ And then I realized, well, am I doing anything about it?”

Balancing Acts is a community project focusing on rock climbing, born out of frustration with both Vancouver’s fragmented social scene and climbing’s lack of diversity. “I’d go to the skate park at Britannia Courts and meet these amazing people—gender-diverse, creative thinkers, folks from all walks of life,” says Fenton. “Then I’d go to the climbing gym and it was mostly people with nine-to-five jobs. It just didn’t feel the same.” So Fenton started gathering friends for casual trips and coached them through approachable spots on Cypress Mountain.

These small outings soon grew from five people into 30  (on rare occasions, even growing to groups of 150), proving he’d tapped into something special. “It almost started as a selfish thing—just wanting my friends at the gym. But it turned into something bigger,” Fenton says. The Balancing Acts philosophy is simple—come as you are: “We provide all the gear because climbing should never feel out of reach. It’s about creating family, community and belonging—especially for those who typically don’t see themselves represented in traditional climbing spaces.” (Specifically, according to the Balancing Acts website, 2SLGBTQIA+ and Indigenous, Black and POC individuals.)

With backing from local brands like Arc’teryx and Nonny Beer, Fenton built a climbing wall inside Alterior, a bustling creative space in East Van. Here, bimonthly  “board meetings” are a chance for climbers of all levels to do some indoor climbing; you’ll also find the group hosting themed nights like Filipino heritage appreciation, queer nights and celebrations of Black History Month. These events are essential winter hangouts, keeping the climbing community tightly knit year-round, while summers bring casual outdoor “field trips,” complete with crash pads, coordinated carpools and Fenton’s relaxed coaching style.

The proof’s on the wall: Balancing Acts is crushing barriers—and building community. One international student from China found her crew here and even designed a brochure as a thank-you. And then there’s Darius, a once-shy Surreyite who scaled new heights with a life-changing climbing trip to Joshua Tree when he was 19, thanks to the club’s bursary program. He’s now so committed he’s organizing climbs himself, texting plans to Fenton mid-interview.

Next obstacle to tackle? More walls—literally. Fenton is now pushing the City of Vancouver to install public climbing boulders in city parks. “Imagine kids growing up climbing in Mount Pleasant or Strathcona, climbing real rocks,” says Fenton. “We could foster the next generation of climbing legends right here, in our own backyard.” 

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